UMUR
"Ballcutter" is an EP release by UK death/thrash metal act Cancer. The EP was released through Peaceville Records in July 2019. It´s a follow-up- and companion release to Cancer´s 2018 sixth full-length studio album "Shadow Gripped".
The EP features five tracks and opens with an alternate master version of "Ballcutter" from "Shadow Gripped". It´s a nice heavy death metal track, but I´m not sure I needed another version of that song. "All the Curses" and "Crocodile Itch" are new original songs, which are outtakes from the "Shadow Gripped" sessions. Both are consistent in style and quality to the material found on that album. The two closing tracks of the EP are demo versions of "Garrotte" and "organ Snatcher", which are both songs which appeared in their studio versions on "Shadow Gripped". The demos are actually pretty powerful and feature a well sounding production job.
"Ballcutter" is well produced and well performed but if you cut away the fat the only tracks of real interest here are "All the Curses" and "Crocodile Itch", which granted are really good death metal tunes, but unless you just couldn´t get enough of the sound and style of music found on "Shadow Gripped" this EP shouldn´t be your first buy. The quality of the material is fine though and a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.